Theory of mind and preschoolers’ understanding of implicit causality in verbs: a comparison between Serbian and Hungarian children.

This study aims to investigate the effect of theory of mind, age and mother tongue on the implicit causality effect in preschoolers from two different language backgrounds. Serbian and Hungarian native speakers aged 3–7 years participated in the study. After taking part in a Theory of Mind task, children were presented verbs in simple „Subject verb Object” sentences describing interactions between two participants, with the interactions being based on emotional, mental or visual experiences. Children were asked “Why does S verb O?” and their responses were categorized as containing an inference about the sentence-S or the sentence-O. The results show that Theory of Mind is a significant factor in the emergence of implicit causality, with age of participants and mother tongue being also contributing to explaining patterns of implicit causality

Relationship of Problematic Internet Use and Positive Orientation Indicators in Adolescents

© 2020 by authors This paper investigates a model connecting problematic Internet use (PIU) and positive orientation (i.e., life satisfaction, self-esteem, and optimism as its indicators) in an adolescent population. The sample included 1263 adolescents (59.5% girls; Mage = 16.85 [SD = 1.01] years), attending four grammar schools and six vocational schools in Vojvodina, Serbia. The following scales were used: the Problematic Internet use, Satisfaction with life, Optimism and Pessimism, and Rosenberg Self Esteem scale. The tested model indicates that the extracted variables are good predictors of PIU, with 20% of the total variance explained. Pessimism was the main individual variable to explain the PIU variance. Future research should investigate the effects of situational contexts on the connection between mental health factors and PIU

Algae-based biofuel technology

Abstract only

Algae-based biofuel technology

Abstract only

The sorption characteristics and thermal stability of epoxy coatings electrodeposited on steel and steel electrochemically modified by Fe-P alloys

The corrosion behaviour and thermal stability of epoxy coatings electrodeposited on steel and steel electrochemically modified by Fe-P alloys of different phase structures have been investigated during exposure to 3% NaCl. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), gravimetric liquid sorption experiments and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used. Epoxy coatings were formed by cathodic electrodeposition of epoxy resin on steel and steel modified by Fe-P alloys at various current densities, using a constant voltage method. From the results obtained from EIS (pore resistance, coating capacitance), gravimetric liquid sorption experiments (diffusion coefficient) and TGA (water content inside the coating and thermal resistance), it can be concluded that the electrochemical, transport and thermal properties of epoxy coatings are strongly affected by surface modification of the substrate. The reduced electrochemical and transport properties of epoxy coatings on Fe-P sublayers can be: explained by the catalytic activity of Fe-P alloys for the Hz evolution reaction, while the improved thermal stability of these coatings is probably connected with an increasing number of hydrogen bonds inside the polymer net. The mechanism of electrolyte penetration through an organic coating is also given. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A

A car-seat example of automated anthropomorphic testing of fabrics using force-controlled robot motions

For the last years, automation is widely used to relieve humans from repetitive tasks, primarily and firstly within manufacturing. However, for products with less ideal (or hard to model) properties, and when forces depends on human interaction, automated testing has not been explored until now. This work presents the analysis of the (human-dependent) motions/forces based on a fully implemented test case for car-seat testing. For emulation of the corresponding mechanical wear, an experimental test bench was developed. A sensor mat with a pressure gauge net was used in the test bench to determine the relevant loads, and the corresponding movements performed by the humans when sitting in a car seat were acquired by means of a photogrammetry system. Finally, to automate the reproduction of such movements by means of a dummy held by a robot, several controllers have been developed to regulate the force applied by the dummy on the seat. Simplicity and force-control performance for the human replication was also investigated in this work, showing the benefit of freely programmable (open) force control. The developed system has many practical applications, as allowing the analysis of the wearing caused by these movements on the seat upholstery. Thus, force controlled testing of fabrics using robots is a viable option. Note to Practitioners-In this paper, an experimental test bench is presented for the analysis of the mechanical response in car seats. It consists in a force control application in which the robot, by means of a dummy, must apply a controlled force on a car seat, simulating the movements of a human sitting on and standing up from the seat. This simulation is limited by the fact that normalized dummies used in tests are usually conceived to reproduce a sitting position and do not have the mobility of the human body. Furthermore, the simulation with a six axes robot limits to six the degrees of freedom the movements that can be performed with the dummy. Hence, an important part of this study consists in simplifying the human movements in order that they can be performed with the described components and still adequately reproduces the interaction between the body and the seat. In order to develop and validate this experimental test bench, the movements performed by passengers sitting on or standing up from the seat in an actual car have been firstly acquired. Therefore, a four-camera photogrammetry system and a pressure mat have been used. This paper also describes the procedures used to capture and reproduce the human body movements and their forces. In this work, an ABB IRB140 industrial robot has been used, as well as a six degree of freedom JR3 industrial force sensor. For the development of this test bench, two control architectures have been used. The first one is based on a commercial ABB software so, it can be used for application development with any ABB industrial robot. The second control architecture proposed is an open architecture allowing access to the robot state variables, much more complex motion and/or force controllers can be implemented

Desarrollo de un Banco de Pruebas Experimental mediante Control de Fuerza con Robot Industrial para el Análisis de la Respuesta Mecánica de Asientos de Coche

Resumen: Este trabajo presenta el desarrollo de un banco de pruebas experimental para el análisis de la respuesta mecánica de los asientos de vehículos durante la entrada y salida de pasajeros. Para realizar este desarrollo, se consideran dos fases: la primera fase es la captura de datos, realizada mediante una manta sensorizada con una red de galgas de presión y un sistema de fotogrametría a fin de capturar el movimiento realizado por una persona al sentarse en el asiento de un automóvil. La segunda fase consiste en reproducir dicho movimiento de forma automática mediante un maniquí acoplado a un robot, controlando la fuerza que ejerce el maniquí sobre el asiento.El desarrollo debe permitir aplicar diferentes estrategias de control de fuerza con robots industriales, utilizando para ello una plataforma de prueba consistente en el robot IRB140 de ABB y un sensor de fuerza industrial JR3 de 6 grados de libertad. Como arquitectura de control, se presentan dos alternativas. La primera utiliza la aplicación software WebWare SDK de ABB. En la segunda solución, se ha modificado el controlador original S4CPlus del robot, proporcionando una arquitectura abierta de control que permite la implementación de nuevos algoritmos de control de movimiento y fuerza en el robot industrial.Con esta aplicación, se simula el proceso realizado por una persona al sentarse y levantarse del asiento de un automóvil, monitorizándose y controlándose la fuerza que ejerce un maniquí sobre un asiento para garantizar igualdad de condiciones con el caso real. El sistema desarrollado tiene numerosas aplicaciones prácticas, como por ejemplo la de poder analizar el desgaste que estos movimientos ocasionan en la tapicería de los asientos. Palabras clave: control de fuerza, control de robots, simulación de movimientos humanos, control por computador, aplicaciones digitales de computación, robots manipuladore

Experimental test-bench development using force control with industrial robots for the analysis of the mechanical response in car seats

Modern safe and high-quality products not only need to have desired properties in terms of geometry, material, features, etc. from a position-interaction point of view. Also compliance, deflection, impact and safety features depending on force-interacting properties are of (increasing) importance. As a key such example, the mechanical response of car seats has been studied, including the contact force between humans and the seat. The question is if or how the usage of the product can be simulated by using a dummy in combination with a robot that accomplishes realistic movements including the forces acting on the product. Since robots today are not designed for such force-interaction schemes, the topic involves the extension of robot controllers for force control. The developed platform, including novel force control strategies and tools, includes an industrial robot system that was extended by sensors and interfaces for force/torque and vision feedback. To improve usability and programmability, ActiveX controls and testing application were developed. The experimental results show good performance for testing of the studied product, indicating a wider applicability of robots for product testing